The Maya tell that, long ago, the god Itzamná created a marvelous land: the Mayab, “the land of the chosen.” He filled it with flowers and birds, with cenotes of clear water and deep caverns, and he gave it to the Maya people. It was the most beautiful land in the world.

Itzamná chose three animals to live forever in the Mayab: the pheasant, the deer, and the rattlesnake. The pheasant flew high among the trees, and its cry could be heard across the whole forest. The deer ran as lightly as the wind. And the rattlesnake made music with its rattles, filling the nights of the Mayab with song.

One day, the chilames — the Maya seer-priests, who could read the future — had a terrible vision: strange men would soon arrive from far away, conquer the Mayab, and bring great suffering to the Maya people. The chilames warned everyone.

When the animals heard the news, each one reacted in its own way. The pheasant ran to hide among the plants, so the strangers would not find it. The deer wept with such sadness that its tears formed pools of water across the Mayab — and that is why, to this day, the deer’s eyes always look moist. The rattlesnake stopped making music and prepared to fight.

And so it happened: the foreign conquerors arrived, and the Mayab no longer belonged to the Maya.

But a famous seer made a prophecy. One day, the pheasant will fly so high that its shadow will cover the whole Mayab. The deer will cross the land in a single leap. And the rattlesnake will make music again. On that day, the three animals will call the Maya people together, and the Maya will win back their land.

That is why, they say, the pheasant, the deer, and the rattlesnake are still watching and waiting, ready for the moment when the Mayab will once again be the land of the chosen.